Chapter 2356 — Chapter 2356 Yuan's Ascension

As his existence continued to fade, Yuan felt the weight of his body completely vanish, as though he had been severed from it entirely.

Meanwhile, his consciousness—his very soul—felt as though it were drifting higher and higher, as if attempting to ascend toward the heavens themselves.

Although only seconds had passed since Yuan first felt his soul begin to ascend, to him, it felt as though tens of thousands of years had gone by, and he was still ascending.

Despite how long it felt, Yuan didn't panic in the slightest, as he'd gone through this process more than once before.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, a million years passed, and throughout it all, Yuan felt his soul ascending without end. Then, suddenly, he sensed something in the distance—an invisible force. It was boundless, like a colossal wall stretching endlessly in every direction.

This was a phenomenon known as the Celestial Fate, something every Cultivator who has ascended to the God Ascension Realm has experienced. 'Here comes the first layer…' Yuan thought to himself as his soul approached the invisible wall.

Before long, his soul collided with the invisible wall, pressing firmly against its boundless surface. This was the first barrier faced by all who sought ascension. Fail to cross it, and they would remain as a mere Immortal. The trial was simple in concept—yet countless cultivators had attempted it and fallen short.

As for Yuan… his soul easily slipped right through the wall without feeling any resistance at all. To him, it might as well not have existed. After passing the first layer, Yuan's soul continued to drift for another million years until he reached another wall.

Although passing the first layer would qualify one to enter the God Ascension Realm, that was far from the end of the journey. Beyond it lay additional layers, and with each one a cultivator bypassed, their power within the God Ascension Realm would grow increasingly stronger.

The results of this phenomenon varied greatly, shaping the very foundation of one's celestial power. Unfortunately, it was not something that could be controlled. Most could only accept what they were granted—much like their innate talents.

However, those with exceptionally strong Soul Strength—like Yuan—possessed the ability to push themselves beyond their natural limits.

After passing the second layer with the same ease as before, Yuan continued to travel for another million years before reaching the third.

Of course, he also passed that one with ease.

Eventually, he reached the fourth… then the fifth… sixth… each layer requiring a million years to reach, or one minute in reality.

Though reality elapsed slowly, those undergoing the phenomenon experienced that million years in full, and such an immense stretch of time would inevitably erode their mental strength; hence, most stop after the second, third, or fourth layer.

Those who could reach the fifth or sixth layer were considered geniuses, and anyone who surpasses the seventh layer become powerhouses. One minute… ten minutes… a hundred minutes passed in the real world. Yet Yuan remained within the phenomenon, his soul effortlessly bypassing one layer after another.

Thanks to his constantly active soul cultivation technique, his already formidable Soul Strength recovered faster than the phenomenon could exhaust it, so technically, he could last an eternity. However, after the tenth layer, the time required to reach the next layer increased tenfold. Instead of one million years, it would now take ten million years to ascend further.

Therefore, Yuan had been drifting for 900 million years when he reached the 100th layer.

He had expected to pass it as effortlessly as the others. Yet the moment his soul pressed forward, it was pushed back slightly.

For the first time, there was resistance.

Yet, it wasn't strong enough to stop him, and after some effort, Yuan pushed right through the 100th layer.

At this point, the time required to reach the next layer increased tenfold once again. To ascend to the 101st layer, Yuan would need to endure one hundred million years.

Yet despite experiencing a hundred million years within the phenomenon, only an hour would pass in reality.

One might assume that those undergoing ascension could empty their minds and enter a trance-like state to endure the passage of time. Unfortunately, they were required to remain fully conscious and focused throughout the entire ordeal.

A hundred million years… one billion years… ten billion years…

Thanks to the vast experience he had accumulated across multiple lifetimes, Yuan endured the unfathomable passage of time without losing his sanity. Even so, it was far from easy.

After nearly ninety billion years, he barely managed to pass the 999th layer.

Yet the ascent was not over. Without hesitation, Yuan set his sights on the 1,000th layer as time continued to flow.

However, even after a hundred million years had passed, Yuan had not reached the 1,000th layer.

Then a billion years passed.

Nothing.

Ten billion.

He was still drifting.

A hundred billion years later—

Though that possibility was likely, Yuan chose to continue until his mind could endure no more.

And so, time flowed on.

Two hundred billion years later, cracks began to form in his sanity.

After five hundred billion years of drifting through endless void without a single sensation to anchor him, he could feel his mind nearing its limit.

Yet somehow, he endured another five hundred billion years.

Finally, after a full trillion years had passed, Yuan—on the very brink of madness—sensed it.

The 1,000th layer.

Its presence washed over him like a bucket of cold water, instantly clearing the haze threatening to consume him.

The moment he reached the 1,000th layer, Yuan immediately attempted to push through it. However, no matter how much force he exerted, the barrier remained unmoved. He simply could not break through.

'I have no proof… but this is definitely the final layer. And I will break through it at all costs,' Yuan declared inwardly.

With that resolve, he immediately began his second attempt.